What do past couples' reviews tell me about a wedding planning business?
Reviews show how the business behaves under pressure, which is what a wedding planner sells. Read them for patterns in communication, budget handling and last-minute problems, notice how the owner replies, and check them against bookings, referrals and what past vendors say.
Read all the reviews, not only the top ones. Look for what couples mention without being asked: whether the planner stayed calm, kept to the budget, solved problems quietly and answered messages quickly. Repeated praise or repeated complaints tell you more than any single glowing story.
Notice who is named. If every review thanks the owner personally, the business may rest on one person. If several team members are praised, the service is easier to pass on. Check how recent the reviews are, and whether they cover different seasons and event styles.
Read the owner’s replies as well. A calm, specific answer to a hard review shows how the business treats a difficult client. Defensive replies are worth a conversation. Reviews are only part of the picture. Compare them with booking records, repeat and referral rates, and your own calls to a few past couples or vendors, if the seller agrees. Ask whether any disputes, refunds or chargebacks happened, and whether they appear in the financial statements. Pay attention to how the seller talks about difficult couples. A review site can be incomplete, so use it as a prompt for questions. Ask the seller to explain any review that surprised you, and notice whether the answer matches what the records show.
Key takeaways
- Read for repeated themes in communication, budgeting and problem solving.
- Notice whether praise names the owner or the whole team.
- Check reviews against bookings, refunds and calls with past clients.
Related reading
13 pages on the same subject, grouped by topic.
Due diligence
Buying
- Expert answerHow can I tell if a wedding planning business for sale is really profitable?
- Expert answerCan an event planning company run without its founder?
- Expert answerHow do I evaluate an event planning company’s vendor network before buying?
- Expert answerShould I buy an existing event planning business or start one?
- Expert answerWhat should I check before buying an event planning business?
- Expert answerHow do I check a cybersecurity consultancy’s reports and past engagements before buying?
Selling
- Expert answerHow do I prepare a wedding planning business for sale?
- Expert answerHow do I show an event planning company’s pipeline of booked events?
- Expert answerWhat portfolio materials should I prepare before selling my event planning company?
- Expert answerHow do I tell my financial planning clients I am selling my practice?
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
Deavo is an advertising and listings platform, not a brokerage, law firm or valuation firm. This page is general information, not legal, tax, accounting or valuation advice, and rules differ by province. Confirm anything you rely on with a qualified professional before you act on it.